Ahrefs Podcast

Eric Siu, founder of Single Grain and host of the Leveling Up podcast, dives into how AI is reshaping marketing strategies. He reveals how his agency produces 21 blog posts in just 30 minutes, highlighting the efficiency gained without sacrificing quality. The conversation tackles the critical role human editors play and discusses the balance of AI and human creativity. Siu also explores gamifying marketing processes and shares insights on targeted advertising strategies for platforms like LinkedIn, illustrating the future of marketing in an AI-driven world.

Adam Robinson, Founder and CEO of Retention.com and RB2B, reveals how to transform LinkedIn into a powerful customer acquisition tool without spending on ads. He discusses the art of building a personal brand and authentic storytelling, emphasizing the importance of engaging content. Learn practical tips for growing your LinkedIn audience, crafting captivating posts, and leveraging video to create emotional connections. Robinson also highlights the balance between AI and human creativity in content generation, showcasing effective strategies for impactful engagement.

Nathan Barry (founder of Kit, formerly ConvertKit) joins Tim Soulo to break down one of the boldest rebrands in SaaS, and why it wasn’t just a logo change, but a complete overhaul of identity, voice, and vision.We talk:• Why they spent $260K with a top agency (and what they actually got)• How to design word-of-mouth marketing that actually works• Using AI to scale brand consistency• The Minimum Viable Personal Brand for founders• Building creator flywheels instead of chasing funnels• What Kit learned from celebrity newsletters (Tom Brady, Dua Lipa, McConaughey…)If you care about brand, growth, or building in public, this is the episode to watch.00:00 - Intro00:54 - Why spend $360K for a rebrand? 06:14 - Using AI to stay on brand10:28 - Acquiring a three-letter domain16:05 - Business decisions beyond immediate profit 21:26 - Turning a rebrand into a marketing flywheel26:06 - You can’t script word of mouth. But you can feed it32:56 - Customers as marketing assets42:30 - Funnels vs flywheels and landing celebrity clients53:45 - Delegating like a CEO (but still showing up)1:00:32 - OutroWe hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Nathan:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanbarry/X: @nathanbarryWebsite: https://kit.com/Where to find Tim:LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsouloWebsite: https://www.timsoulo.com/_______________Referenced in this episode:🔹 PeopleTom Brady — Referenced in relation to Kit newsletter visibilityhttps://www.instagram.com/tombrady/Patrick Campbell — Founder of ProfitWell (acquired by Paddle)https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrickccampbell/https://twitter.com/pattycDua Lipa — Musician and creator, newsletter launched via Kithttps://www.instagram.com/dualipa/⸻🔹 Companies / Products / PlatformsKit — Formerly ConvertKit, platform for professional creatorshttps://kit.com/Koto — Design agency behind Kit’s $260K rebrandhttps://koto.studio/Ahrefs — All-in-one SEO and marketing platformhttps://ahrefs.com/ProfitWell — Subscription analytics and retention toolhttps://www.profitwell.com/Paddle — SaaS payment infrastructure company (acquired ProfitWell)https://www.paddle.com/Creator Network — Kit’s recommendation and newsletter growth enginehttps://kit.com/features/creator-network⸻🔹 Books / Concepts“Do Things That Don’t Scale” — Paul Graham (essay from Y Combinator)https://www.paulgraham.com/ds.htmlAhrefs PodcastHost: Tim SouloPodcast Producer: Michelle LindnerIntro Storyboard: Michelle LindnerIntro Video Lead: George DolgikhIntro Video Animations: Ilya YakymchuckFilmed at: Content HQ, Miami #branding #rebranding #marketing #emailmarketing #Kit #ConvertKit #domainnames #customerengagement #storytelling #businessstrategy #marketingstrategies #creatorplatforms #abtesting #directsales #networkeffects #teamprocesses #founderpassion

Everyone’s talking about AI in marketing. But most of it is hype, fluff, or screenshots of ChatGPT doing something useless. This episode is different.Gael Breton ( ⁨@AuthorityHackerPodcast⁩ ) shows the real systems he’s using to replace time-wasting tasks, write high-performing content, and ship more work, without losing quality.We’re talking about AI workflows that actually work in a lean, fast-moving marketing team.We cover: (00:00) Intro(01:35) AI in marketing is broken. Here's how to fix it.(03:22) Use Gemini to uncover B2B AI opportunities(05:57) Why content still matters in the age of AI agents(09:03) Auto-generate podcasts and deep research summaries(11:27) Research video libraries with NotebookLLM(15:31) Tim’s evolving take on AI-generated content(18:43) Use AI to write high-engagement newsletters(26:48) Feedback, refinement, and keeping AI content human(31:33) Smarter, not spammy: Using AI like a creative calculator(41:20) AI agents + MCP server to automate SEO tasks(47:18:07) OutroWe hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Gael:LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/gael-breton-78305118⁠X: @GaelBretonWebsite: https://www.authorityhacker.com/Where to find Tim:LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsouloWebsite: https://www.timsoulo.com/_______________Referenced in this episode:Ahrefs – https://ahrefs.com/Authority Hacker – https://www.authorityhacker.com/Gemini (Google AI) – https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/Claude (Anthropic) – https://claude.ai/NotebookLM – https://notebooklm.google/Perplexity AI – https://www.perplexity.ai/Firecrawl – https://www.firecrawl.dev/Make.com – https://www.make.com/n8n – https://n8n.io/CapCut – https://www.capcut.com/Opus Pro – https://www.opus.pro/Notion AI – https://www.notion.so/product/aiBuffer – https://buffer.com/_______________Ahrefs PodcastHost: Tim SouloPodcast Producer: Michelle LindnerIntro Storyboard: Tim SouloIntro Video Lead: George DolgikhIntro Video Animations: Ilya YakymchuckFilmed with:  ⁨@Riversidefm⁩  #ai, #automation, #businessscaling, #technology, #entrepreneurship, #saas, #innovation, #brand, #contentcreation, #marketingstrategies, #businessgrowth, #aiworkflow, #aicontentcreation

What if your business could run itself...and actually get better over time? In this episode, we sit down with Amos Bar-Joseph, founder of Swan AI, to explore the future of autonomous business and what it means for marketers and SaaS founders. Amos shares how Swan is rethinking onboarding, support, and user engagement through the dynamic of human-AI collaboration.From automation and content creation to go-to-market strategy and brand-building, this conversation unpacks the real potential (and limits) of AI as it reshapes how we build, grow, and support products.We cover: (0:00) Intro(01:18) Can 3 founders scale to $30M ARR with AI?(02:51) Automation is dead. Augmentation is the future.(04:59) Why they said no to Intercom and built their own AI(09:31) How support works when AI reads your docs(11:44) Teaching AI like a teammate (not a tool)(14:19) Could you build this with no-code?(17:10) The only moats left: brand and user experience(25:33) AI-led onboarding that starts without you(28:40) Why high-intent leads skip the free trial(34:21) How they turned LinkedIn into a pipeline engine(39:41) Detecting ICPs in real time with AI agents(44:12) Writing bangers on LinkedIn with Claude(49:56) When AI freedom crashes your margins(55:05) AI-powered research, outreach, and follow-up all in Slack(1:07:41) What they’re automating next (and why)(1:10:33) Why AI still sucks at web design(1:13:25) Outro------------------------------------------------Where to find Amos: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/amos-bar-joseph-5a665a142/)Website: https://www.getswan.com/Where to find Tim: LinkedIn: (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timsoulo/)X: @timsouloWebsite: https://www.timsoulo.com/------------------------------------------------Referenced in this episode:🏢 Companies & ProductsIntercom – “Fin” AI assistant: https://www.intercom.com6sense (Lead & intent data platform) : https://6sense.comHubSpot (CRM): https://www.hubspot.comSlack: https://slack.comClaude (Anthropic AI): https://www.anthropic.com/index/claudeChatGPT (OpenAI): https://chat.openai.comGemini (Google AI): https://gemini.google.com⸻🛠️ AI, Automation & No-Code ToolsAnthropic (Claude models): https://www.anthropic.comOpenAI (GPT models): https://openai.comN8n (No-code automation platform): https://n8n.ioRelevance AI: https://relevance.aiMake (formerly Integromat – automation platform): https://www.make.comUnipile (LinkedIn scraping and automation): https://www.unipile.comGenerect (Real-time B2B data enrichment): https://generect.comApollo (Alternative B2B database tool): https://www.apollo.ioLovable (No-code app builder): https://lovable.dev/Bubble (No-code app builder): https://bubble.io#ai, #automation, #swann, #customersupport, #humanaicollaboration, #businessscaling, #technology, #entrepreneurship, #saas, #innovation, #brand, #userexperience, #onboarding, #customerengagement, #contentcreation, #autonomousbusiness, #linkedin, #gotomarket, #websitevisitoridentification, #aiautonomy, #marketingstrategies, #businessgrowth

Joe Glover, creator of The Marketing Meetup, shares his journey in building a 50,000+ member community with a focus on human connections. He emphasizes that community isn't a sales channel but rather a culture that thrives on authenticity and emotional bonds. Glover discusses the importance of storytelling in marketing and the unique elements that make events successful. He also reflects on the challenges of member engagement and the necessity of shared leadership in sustaining community participation.

Louis Grenier, the unapologetic founder of Stand The F*ck Out and host of Everyone Hates Marketers, offers radical insights into standing out in a sea of sameness. He discusses the pitfalls of typical branding efforts and unveils a four-step process to achieve unique positioning. From understanding audience insights to crafting a compelling brand narrative, Louis emphasizes the importance of authenticity, continuous engagement, and the need to address real customer challenges. His refreshing take challenges marketers to rethink their strategies and embrace clarity.

Tim Dalrymple, former Head of Growth Marketing at Notion and Director of Growth at Webflow, shares insights from the forefront of marketing. He discusses the crucial differences between growth and brand marketing, emphasizing measurable strategies for scaling success. Tim dives into the complexities of advertising attribution and the need for reliable tracking systems. He also highlights the importance of AI in marketing, production strategies for impactful video content, and the role of quality SEO in driving organic traffic.

Borko Kovacevic is the co-founder of Poddster, a fast-growing podcast studio network with locations in Dubai and Singapore, with upcoming locations in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi. Borko is also the co-founder of podcast operations software, Podyx. In this episode, Borko shares the behind-the-scenes story of building Poddster, the trends shaping podcasting today, and what it really takes to create a podcast that drives business results.What you’ll learn:1. Why podcasting is shifting from audio-only to video—and how YouTube is winning the game2. How businesses and creators approach podcasts differently (and why only 5% of Poddster’s clients are full-time creators)3. The biggest mistakes businesses make when starting a podcast—and why “interesting guests” aren’t enough4. Why every small business owner needs to be a content creator in today’s world5. The role of trust and authenticity in podcasting—and how mainstream media’s decline has fueled the format’s growth6. The untold challenges of podcasting (hint: it’s way harder than it looks)7. Why podcasting is the ultimate networking hack—and how it can be used as a business development tool8. How production quality impacts discoverability and engagement9. The surprising reasons 99% of podcasts don’t make it past 20 episodes10. Much moreIn this episode: (0:00) Intro(1:25) Why podcasting is the wave of the future(5:05) Who is podcasting? (10:58) Creator vs business podcasting(16:18) Motivations and goals behind business podcasts(34:53) What makes a good podcast or podcast episode(41:37) Common challenges in podcasting(53:40) Zoom vs in-person interviews(1:03:35) Different podcast strategies(1:08:37) Types of podcasts(1:16:12) How to market a podcast(1:35:34) The benefits of video studios beyond podcasting(1:38:31) Where to find quality studios(1:46:47) OutroWhere to find BorkoLinkedInPoddsterPodyxWhere to find TimLinkedInXWebsiteReferencedMagnus Grimeland: https://youtu.be/6dNFsSWcQFYNir Eyal:  @nirandfar  Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary Vee):  @garyvee  Lex Fridman:  @lexfridman  Joe Rogan:  @joerogan  Scott Galloway (Prof G):  @TheProfGPod  Steven Bartlett"  @TheDiaryOfACEO  Tom Bilyeu:  @TomBilyeu 

Meet Magnus Grimeland - the founder and CEO of Antler - a one BILLION dollar venture capital firm dedicated to investing in startups at the earliest stages. As of today, Antler has invested in over 14 hundred companies, making it the largest day-zero investor in the world. And they have an audacious goal to invest in 6 thousand companies before 2030. In this episode, you'll learn: (0:00) Intro (02:36) Why are people more important than ideas?  (06:04) Examples of iterating on ideas (19:17) Hipster, Hacker, Hustler vs. Spike, Drive, Grit (29:22) Can marketers be good founders (34:39) Soft skills vs hard skills (39:03) The role of marketing in zero-day investments (46:07) What do experts get out of advising zero-day startups?  (53:45) Borrowing other people’s platforms (1:00:54) The first marketing steps for any startup (1:05:42) Building a brand (1:15:27) Founder brand vs. building local networks (1:22:03) How Antler gets referrals (1:29:52) Why VC firms don’t use SEO (1:37:33) How Antler decides who to invest in (1:40:06) Outro We hope you enjoyed this episode of Ahrefs Podcast! As always, be sure to like and subscribe (and tell a friend). Where to find Magnus: LinkedIn Website Where to find Tim: LinkedIn X Website ------------------------- Referenced: • Zalora • Lion • Basket of goods • G&A _______________ Ahrefs Podcast Host: Tim Soulo Podcast Producer: Michelle Lindner Intro Storyboard: Michelle Lindner & Tim Soulo Intro Video Lead: George Dolgikh Intro Video Animations: Ilya Yakymchuck Filmed at:  @PoddsterSingapore